Oh-Bla-Di

Since we’re days away from Ava being 20 months old, I guess it’s about time we share a little of what she’s like now.

In a nutshell, she’s very communicative, she’s funny, and fiercly independent. She likes her school and shows me the way to her classroom each morning. When I walk her in, she gives me a hug and kiss, then she says “window” which tells me to leave…she wants to wave goodbye at the window. Ava is talking up a storm these days and has baby versions of a lot of words. Rudimentary as her language is, it has changed our communication from something that is highly frustrating to something that resembles a cooperative partnership. She speaks, we listen…and sometimes vice versa.

Ava loves to read books, to feed “breakfast” (all meals these days) to her stuffed bear, and to color. She also really enjoys running and jumping. Exploring her new physical prowess is apparently one of her greatest delights.

It’s hard to put into words how cool we think this baby is. She’s really not a baby anymore, but an increasingly capable toddler, but it’s hard not to want to hold & squeeze her just like when she was littler. She’s an affectionate kid and loves to give kisses and hugs, so we feel very lucky to be the objects of her attentions.

Since she’s doing so much, here are a few videos that capture a little bit of Ava just as she is…right now.

Ava playing computer, July 5, 2009

Not really, but it’s catchy, isn’t it?

We had lots of fun for the 4th! We hosted a pool party in our backyard and were joined by lots of friends for a fun afternoon of swimming, hamburgers, and sparklers. We had great music, too, thanks to Matt wiring up some outdoor speakers.

Happy birthday, America!

So, our goal by the end of summer is to have Ava transitioned into her big girl room. We’ve set an August 1 deadline so that we can be through the worst of the challenges in time for me to catch a nap before starting classes again.